Raintree via North Loop - 7/15/11

Seventeen hikers from the Around the Bend Friends Hiking Club invaded the North Loop Trail today hiking to the famous 3000 year old bristlecone tree affectionately called "Raintree," seen in the top photo. As the story goes, a hiker named Nick named the tree after a tree in a movie called "Raintree County." He said it looked like the tree in the movie (which was a different type of tree that "rained" blossoms, or seeds, or something in the wind) and the name stuck.

The group began their 1500 foot climb at the North Loop Trailhead on Deer Creek Hwy 158. Due to different hiking speeds, we re-grouped at the Meadow and at the High Point of the hike. Roger, pictured in the second photo, coordinated the group and made sure everyone was always accounted for.

The flowers were blooming along the trail from beginning to end. There were red Indian Paintbrush, yellow Monkey Flowers, blue Lupine, purple sage, and yellow Marigolds. It was very colorful and only added to the gorgeous blue sky, green bristlecone trees, and whitish gray limestone rock.

After the meadow, the hikers spread out even more but it was very nice to be able to hike at your own pace and not feel rushed. It was too beautiful a day to not take your time and enjoy the beauty. The hike topped out at just above 10,000 feet above sea level then made a short half mile descent of around 80 elevation feet to Raintree which was situated at the base of the "toe" of Mummy Mountain.

At the tree, we sat in the sun with our backs to the chilly breeze and had our snack break. Ann told the story about how the tree got its name and we all decided we would get the book "Raintree County" and read the story. Shortly, we were ready to begin our small climb up to the high point and start the descent. Again, we hiked at our own pleasant pace. Some hikers are up-hillers and some hikers are down-hillers!

Conver- sation among this group never stopped ... well, except going up the switchback section. It got pretty quiet on that portion of the hike. However, the rest of the time could not have been more enjoyable.

North Sister / Black Sister - 7/12/11

Tuesday's hike was a very ambitious hike to the peaks of North Sister and Black Sister, each located to the west of Lee Canyon Highway or Hwy 156. Harlan Stockman was the guest hike leader for this hike as it was the first time the Around the Bend Friends had reached these summits by this particular route. Normally reaching North Sister by way of the South Sister Peak, a very difficult hike in itself, Harlan graciously enjoyed taking a group of fifteen hikers (including himself) up to the peaks from a different trailhead just south of the chain-up area.

The hike began steep and became even steeper. But, it appears that the fifteen hikers were up to the challenge and completed the hike in only 4.25 hours. The complete loop was only 4.25 miles but held a total elevation gain of 2500 feet. The photos were taken by Larry D. and he apologizes for the smudge on some of them. The writer feels this only adds to evidence that the hike took a lot of concentration and ... ahem ... perspiration.

In the photo above, Larry took this photo of a limestone arch with Black Sister in the background. Excellent! In the following photos, you can see how the hike got steeper as they neared the ridge. Mike O'C. was happy to offer his take on the hike in the italicized words below.

Those enchanting queens would be North Sister and Black Sister, two of the four sibling mountains in the Lee Canyon area (North, South, Black and White). Never one to welcome company, North Sister is the pariah of the family. She might just as well be Lonely or Rejected Sister, as not many hikers set foot on her flanks, let alone her summit. But on this pluperfect, 62-degree morning, 15 trekkers would come-a-calling.

The Around the Bend Friends were pleased to welcome guest hiker, Harlan Stockman. Relying on Harlan's vast expertise and jovial demeanor, the arduous Tuesday trek to the Elusive Sister was steep and quick. The final four hundred feet of vertical ascent tested the hikers' resolve. The landscape was not only vertiginous, but somewhat perilous, with the occasional loose boulder cascading down the slope. Rock!

It was here that, we surmise, Mr. Mike got bombarded on the arm by a falling rock set loose by a fellow hiker. Blood every- where! But he's okay ... we're pretty sure! At any rate, the view from the top is ... well, always ... worth it. Mt. Charleston was seen to the south past the South Sister Peak and Lee Canyon Highway was seen to the northeast as it snaked its way behind the closer view of part of North Sister.

Following fluids, chow and first aid on top, the precarious descent lay ahead. Nice and easy does it. At the base of North Sister, it was still mid-morning, so the decision was unanimous--tackle another peak. On to Black Sister.

Black Sister, so called because of its color, is a third peak in the family of four sisters. After making the slippery descent off of North Sister's peak, the 15 hikers traversed the connecting ridge over to Black Sister. The climb up to the peak required this climb as seen below. It seems there was a bit of exposure!

Thirty minutes later, the intrepid bunch clawed their way up the limestone chute to the crest. With not a whole lot of real estate on top, 15 bodies proved to be a tad cozy. The winds were beginning to gust, so the summit stay was brief. Time to descend.

The report from Larry related that the route down from Black Sister was "steep and brushy." The photo below is representative of the few photos taken of this section of the hike. A good nose for direction was likely useful as the group found their way down toward the highway. Soon, they found themselves at the highway chain-up area. A quarter mile left to hike along the road and they were done. Mike and gang bade, "Andiamo." The writer exclaims, "What a hike, guys!"

Bristlecone Trail to Bonanza Trail - 7/9/11

It was a beautiful day at the end of Lee Canyon Highway where the Bristlecone Trail lies. The ski slopes were busy with clean-up volunteers riding on the ski lift to clean up the upper slopes and we could smell barbecue in the air. Motorcycles congregated on the heliport enjoying a day's ride. The Bristlecone Trail was bustling with activity. Bicycles and hikers abound from beginning to end. We were all happy that the rain was away for the morning and there was a cool breeze sweeping across the mountains.

There were thirty- two hikers from the club hiking at a leisurely pace up the trail. Diane, the coordinator, stopped every so often to allow people to catch up and everyone else to catch their breath. A large group of young people hiked along with us for a short ways. Their enthusiasm was contagious.

The Indian Paintbrush bloomed red and the desert mountain sage bloomed purple all over the slopes of limestone. Most of the yellow flowers were past their prime but spring still seemed to be continuing. The bristlecone trees were as gorgeous as ever and the trail, once again, did not disappoint.

There was a report that a small herd of wild horses were seen on this trail a few days ago. This is quite unusual. Probably due to the unusual weather that this year's spring has given us. Yes, there are still large patches of snow in the upper elevations. The monsoons were reaching over the mountains when we returned to the cars but the first drops of rain would still be several hours away.

Cockscomb Peak - 7/7/11

Cockscomb Peak is reached by first hiking up Trail Canyon to the North Loop junction saddle then turning right onto the Cockscomb Ridge trail. After hiking nearly all the way to the end of the ridge, you drop down to the left and circle around to climb to the rock summit. The photos on this entry were taken by John Snail and Mike O'C. graciously offers the words below about this challenging hike. He entitles it "Walkin' in the Rain."

The forecast called for rain, and sure 'nuff, it looked and smelled like rain. And indeed the floodgates did open, but not before 11 stalwart hikers made the Class 3 ascent to the summit of Cockscomb Peak. With the approaching storm looming more menacing by the moment, it was high time to abandon the summit.

Halfway down that dicey descent (it's always trickier going down), a few isolated sprinkles hit the group. Alas, this was only a precursor. As we arrived back at Cockscomb Ridge to begin our 2000' descent to the trailhead, God reminded us that He was in charge up here. Jackets were hurriedly donned as a cold mixture of rain and hail pelted us mercilessly at the 9500' level. Brrr.

The rain intensified as we descended Trail Canyon. Had we had paddles, we could have taken a kayak back down to the cars. And just to remind us that He was still running the show in these mountains, the Almighty tossed a few lightning bolts at us, followed by some lusty thunderboomies. Heartbeats, as well as the pace, immediately quickened. It was off to the races.

An hour later, a sense of normalcy returned as we approached the trailhead. The storm had abated and the thoroughly saturated hikers made for the comfort of the automobiles. Good friends, a little shower and lots of laughs. Another grand day in the Spring Mountains.

Site Updates - 7/2/11

The column to the right of this page had to be re-worked due to an errant direct when loading the page. Please note the new link listed underneath the calendar. This link will take you to a list of the current month's hikes with descriptions and time of meeting.

While the writer is under repairs, contributions via email are welcome. Especially appreciated would be photos, write ups and GPS tracks. Thanks.